Reporting from CANNES, France — By his own admission, Steven Spielberg doesn’t become personal friends with many of the actors he works with.
“I have a lot of acquaintances over 44 years [as a filmmaker],” he told reporters at the Cannes Film Festival Saturday. “And I haven’t brought a lot of people into my life from the movies ... “
He has, however, made an exception for Mark Rylance. The director said he’s become close with the actor, a fact that runs parallel to their professional lives, with two collaborations under their belts and a third on the way.
Audiences should be glad for the relationship. Rylance, who played the simmering spy Rudolf Abel in Spielberg’s 2015 hit “Bridge of Spies,” returns, in a remarkably different guise, in Spielberg’s latest, the adaptation of Roald Dahl children’s fantasy “The BFG” that premieres here Saturday. The 56-year-old British-born Tony and Oscar winner (and Emmy and Golden Globe nominee) stars as said title character -- it stands for “big friendly giant.” He gives a performance in motion-capture as rich and subtle as his turn in the Soviet-era espionage drama.
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French actress Marion Cotillard leaves after the screening of “Juste la Fin du Monde” (It’s Only the End of the World) during the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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British director Ken Loach reacts as he receives the Palme d’Or award for his movie “I, Daniel Blake.”
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French Moroccan director Houda Benyamina poses with the Camera d’Or award for her movie “Divines.”
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Spanish director Juanjo Gimenez, center, receives the Best Short Film award for “Timecode” from French actress Marina Fois, right, and Japanese director Naomi Kawase.
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Iranian director Ashgar Farhadi, right, and Iranian actor Shahab Hosseini pose during the award winners photo call after they won the Best Screenplay award and the Best Performance by an Actor award for the movie “Forushande” (“The Salesman”).
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Canadian director Xavier Dolan with his Grand Prix award for “Juste la Fin du Monde” (“It’s Only the End of the World”).
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Filipina actress Jaclyn Jose with her Best Actress prize during a photo call at 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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Romanian director Cristian Mungiu with his trophy during a photo call after he was awarded the Best Director prize for the film “Graduation” (“Bacalaureate”).
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Mel Gibson and girlfriend Rosalind Ross
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British director Andrea Arnold poses with her trophy during a photo call after she was awarded with the Jury Prize for the film “American Honey” at 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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Actress Marion Cotillard and director Xavier Dolan arrive at the screening of the film “It’s Only the End Of The World.”
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Singer Iggy Pop, left, and director Jim Jarmusch arrive at the screening of “Gimme Danger.”
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Actor Leonardo DiCaprio conducts an auction during the amfAR’s 23rd Cinema Against AIDS Gala.
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Faye Dunaway, left, and actor Kevin Spacey perform on stage during the amfAR’s 23rd Cinema Against AIDS Gala.
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French actress and singer Stephanie Sokolinski arrives for the screening of the film “It’s Only The End Of The World” at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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Actress Valentina Acca, left, producer and member of the jury Valeria Golino, director Stefano Mordini, actress Marina Fois, actor and producer Riccardo Scamarcio and producer Viola Prestieri arrive for the screening of the film “Pericle (Pericle il Nero)” at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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Eric Anzalone, front, Ray Simpson, Jim Newman, Felipe Rose, Bill Whitefield and Alex Briley of the band Village People pose as they arrive for the amfAR’s 23rd Cinema Against AIDS Gala.
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Producer Harvey Weinstein and his wife, British actress Georgina Chapman, pose as they arrive for the amfAR’s 23rd Cinema Against AIDS Gala.
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Director Olivier Assayas, actress Kristen Stewart and actress Nora von Waldstatten attend the Cannes Film Festival screening of the film “Personal Shopper” on May 17.
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Milla Jovovich attends the De Grisogono party at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17.
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Kristen Stewart poses during a photocall for the film “Personal Shopper” at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday.
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From left, Inma Cuesta, Emma Suarez, Rossy de Palma, Adriana Ugarte and Michelle Jenner pose during the “Julieta” photocall at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday.
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From left, Viggo Mortensen, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton, Charlie Shotwell, Samantha Isle, Shree Crooks and director Matt Ross pose for photographers during the “Captain Fantastic” photocall at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday.
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French model Cindy Bruna arrives for the Chopard “Wild” party at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday.
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Former boxer Roberto Duran, left, and actor Robert De Niro pose for photographers at the screening of the film “Hands of Stone” at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday.
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Jason Derulo performs at the “Harmonist” cocktail party at the Plage du Grand Hyatt during the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.
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Usher Raymond IV, left, Ana de Armas and Edgar Ramirez during a photocall for the film “Hands of Stone” at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday.
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Edgar Ramirez, left, Robert de Niro and Usher Raymond IV at the “Hands of Stone” photocall.
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Adam Driver poses during a photocall for the film “Paterson” on Monday in Cannes.
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Actor Adam Driver, left, actress Golshifteh Farahani and director Jim Jarmusch after Monday’s screening of the film “Paterson.”
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Chris Pine, left, and Ben Foster share a laugh at a photocall for the film “Hell or High Water” on Monday.
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Salma Hayek Pinault attends Kering Women in Motion talk at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday.
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Susan Sarandon, from left, Salma Hayek, Geena Davis and Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault arrive for the Kering Women in Motion Honor Awards during the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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Actress and jury member Kirsten Dunst arrives at the premiere of “Loving” on Monday.
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Mischa Barton on the red carpet at the “Loving” premiere.
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Actors Murielle Telio, left, actor Russell Crowe, actress Angourie Rice, actor Matt Bomer, actor Ryan Gosling, director Shane Black and producer Joel Silver pose upon arrival at the screening of the film “The Nice Guys” at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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Actors Matt Bomer, left and Ryan Gosling and director Shane Black arrive for the screening of “The Nice Guys.”
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Actor Russell Crowe takes a picture at “The Nice Guys” premiere.
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Actress Geena Davis attends “The Nice Guys” premiere during the Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals.
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Actress Marion Cotillard poses as she leaves the screening of the film “Mal de Pierres (From the Land of the Moon)” at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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Model Kendall Jenner poses for photographers upon arrival at the screening of the film “Mal De Pierres (From the Land of the Moon).”
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Actress Sonam Kapoor poses as she arrives for the screening of the film “Mal de Pierres (From the Land of the Moon).”
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Actress Kirsten Dunst arrives for the Kering Women in Motion Honor Awards during the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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Actors Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf and Riley Keough leave the “American Honey” premiere during the 69th Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals.
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Actress Aishwarya Rai poses as she arrives for the screening of the film “Mal de Pierres (From the Land of the Moon).”
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Actresses Sonam Kapoor, left, and Araya A. Hargate pose as they arrive for the screening of the film “Mal de Pierres (From the Land of the Moon).”
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Actress Salma Hayek arrives for the Kering Women in Motion Honor Awards during the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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Actors Gael Garcia Bernal, Salma Hayek and Diego Luna arrive for the Kering Women in Motion Honor Awards.
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Actor Shia LaBeouf poses for photographers during a photo call for the film “American Honey.”
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From left: Director Jodie Foster, actress Julia Roberts, and actor George Clooney pose together before leaving the Festival Palace after the screening of their new film”Money Monster” at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday night.
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Blake Lively on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival premiere of “Ma Loute (Slack Bay)” on May 13.
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Juliette Binoche arrives for the screening of “Ma Loute (Slack Bay)” at the Cannes Film Festival on May 13.
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Aishwarya Rai poses for the cameras at the Cannes Film Festival premiere of “Ma Loute (Slack Bay)” on May 13.
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Lily-Rose Depp poses at a Cannes Film Festival hotocall for the film “La Danseuse (The Dancer)” on May 13.
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Diego Luna, a member of the Un Certain Regard jury, waves during a Cannes Film Festival photocall on May 13.
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Juliette Binoche smiles during a Cannes Film Festival news conference for “Ma Loute (Slack Bay)” on May 13.
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Director Jodie Foster and actor Jack O’Connell discuss “Money Monster” in Cannes on Thursday.
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Julia Roberts of “Money Monster” at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.
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“Money Monster” director Jodie Foster, center, with stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts at the Cannes Film Festival.
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George Clooney of “Money Monster” waves to photographers at the Cannes Film Festival.
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George Clooney and Julia Roberts at the Cannes photo call for “Money Monster.”
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Actress Vanessa Redgrave and director Jim Ivory of the 1992 film “Howard’s End,” which is screening in the Cannes Classics section.
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Director Woody Allen, actress Kristen Stewart and actor Jesse Eisenberg arrive for the screening of “Cafe Society”and the opening ceremony.
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Festival director Thierry Fremau, from left, producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, actors Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake and festival president Pierre Lescure at the “Cafe Society” premiere and opening night gala.
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Actors Corey Stoll, left, and Blake Lively arrive for the screening of “Cafe Society.”
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Eva Longoria on the red carpet at the premiere of “Cafe Society” at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
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The scene outside the Cannes Film Festival’s opening night gala.
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Actress Kristen Stewart and actor Jesse Eisenberg arrive for the screening of “Cafe Society” and the opening ceremony of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
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From left, actresses Julianne Moore, Susan Sarandon and Naomi Watts pose for photographers at the Cannes Film Festival screening of Woody Allen’s “Cafe Society” on Wednesday.
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Cannes Film Festival jury member Donald Sutherland attends the “Cafe Society” premiere and opening night festival gala at the Palais des Festivals on May 11.
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Actress Gong Li arrives at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
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Actress Jessica Chastain smiles as she arrives at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
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Actor and festival juror Mads Mikkelsen appears on stage during the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
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Actress and festival juror Kirsten Dunst waves to the crowd during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
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George Miller, president of the Cannes Film Festival jury, fourth from right, poses with jury members, from left, Arnaud Desplechin, Kirsten Dunst, Laszio Nemes, Vanessa Paradis, Donald Sutherland, Katayoon Shahabi, Mads Mikkelsen and Valeria Golino at the 69th edition of the festival in France on Wednesday.
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Actress Anna Kendrick, left, and Justin Timberlake, right, arrive by boat to the photocall for “Trolls” at the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
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Among those attending the “Trolls” photocall at the Cannes Film festival Wednesday, are, in front row, starting second from left, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Justin Timberlake, director Mike Mitchell, Anna Kendrick and director Walt Dohrn.
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Actress Kristen Stewart attends a photocall for the film “Cafe Society” at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
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From left, director of photography Vittorio Storaro, director Woody Allen, and actors Jesse Eisenberg, Corey Stoll, Blake Lively and Kristen Stewart attend the “Cafe Society” photocall during the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
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Actress Blake Lively poses Wednesday during a photocall for the film “Cafe Society” at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in France.
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Jury member Vanessa Paradis arrives at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
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Cannes Film Festival jury member Valeria Golino arrives in southern France for the festival.
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Jury Director George Miller poses for photographers upon arrival at Cannes for the 69th international film festival.
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Jury member and actor Mads Mikkelsen at the 69th Canness Film Festival.
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Jury member Donald Sutherland arrives at the Cannes Film Fetival.
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A beach artist creates an image with sand on the beach in front of the entrance of the Festival Palace in Cannes.
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Jury members actress Kirsten Dunst, left, actress and director Valeria Golino and actress and singer Vanessa Paradis on the balcony at the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez.
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Iranian producer and jury member Katayoon Shahabi arrives at the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez.
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Hungarian director and jury member Laszlo Nemes arrives at the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez.
(Anne-Christine Poujoulat / AFP/Getty Images) FULL COVERAGE: Cannes Film Festival
Rylance is a standout in “BFG,” which follows a British orphan (Ruby Barnhill) as she begins a friendship with the friendly giant in a faraway land, the pair dodging threats from even larger barbarians in the process. There will be mixed opinions on the Spielberg throwback, as there were doubts for this writer. But there will be almost no ambivalence about Rylance’s performance, which manages to steer between the cliches of the gentle giant and the fetishized other. Rylance’s BFG is different, but he’s different in how he’s different.
Some of this, of course, could be chalked up to digital rendering. But all the computers in the world probably couldn’t do what Rylance pulls off: make BFG seem frighteningly imposing one minute and quaveringly small the next. The voice is a key part of this too, jumping with playful inflection through Dahl’s coinages like “delumptious fizzy frobscottle,” but settling into a more fearful register when danger lurks. If anyone is still grumbling about Rylance winning the Oscar over Stallone a few months ago, this should hopefully put an end to it.
Rylance said the motion-capture aspects actually helped him play the part. “It’s not unlike being in a rehearsal room of a theater,” he said of the green-screen setting, which lacks audience or marks.”You just have to use imagination.”
(Side note, possibly relevant: I saw Rylance as Rooster in Jez Butterworth’s “Jerusalem” on Broadway a number of years ago. Watching him perform the climactic scene while bloodied on his back was an experience to remember, and gave literal expression to the idea that a select few can do lying down what almost everyone else can’t do standing up.)
Rylance, seated next to Spielberg wearing his trademark hat, also said that he channeled older working-class types he witnessed as a child in Kent, England -- the kind of personalities who could seem larger-than-life even as they were also probably quite vulnerable.
The actor was also able here to make the adjustment from the character he played in “Bridge of Spies,” where the full range of body motion was available, but less of it was used. Abel’s self-contained, almost enigmatic self was light years away from the expressive, externalized performance Rylance gives here as BFG.
“Just to see that transformation before my eyes was [the most astonishing] thing I’ve ever seen in my life, with these two films back to back,” Spielberg said.
There will be at least a third film, and another transformation. Rylance and Spielberg will join up again for the futuristic adaptation “Ready Player One.” Rylance stars as James Halliday, the entrepreneur who created the OASIS utopia in the book by Ernest Cline. The character is certainly an eccentric. Knowing Rylance, he will be eccentric in a whole different way.
Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT
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